Australia, now one of the richest beer cultures in the world, is also home to the Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards, an intense competition that celebrates the world’s best brews.

Conducted by The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, the Australian International Beer Awards is the largest annual competition judging both draught and packaged beers.

Established in 1993, the Awards celebrate the finest brewers from around the globe, with 14 major awards and 24 category trophies, including the highly coveted titles of Champion Australian Beer and Champion International Beer. The 2026 event evaluated 185 distinct beverage classes and introduced new updates, including adopting the US Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines and introducing a dedicated Tap Decal Design award catagory.

This year it attracted close to 2,200 entries from 22 countries and we’ve all of this year’s big winners for you….

Australian International Beer Award Winners

Major Trophy Winners

• Champion Australian Beer: Bract To The Future, Mountain Goat, Victoria
• Champion International Beer: Weissbier, Zebra Craft Beer, China
• Champion Australian Independent Beer: Hanging Rauch, Stomping Ground Brewing Co, Victoria
• Champion Large Australian Brewery: Pirate Life Brewing, South Australia
• Champion Medium Australian Brewery: Hawkesbury Brewing Co, New South Wales
• Champion Small Australian Brewery: King Road Brewing Co, Western Australia
• Champion Australian Independent Brewery: King Road Brewing Co, Western Australia
• Champion Victorian Brewery: Hawkers Brewery, Victoria
• Champion Cider or Perry Producer: Plenty Cider, Tasmania
• Australian Nomad Brewer Award: Shack Bay Brewing, Victoria
• Champion Large International Brewery: Garage Project, Wellington, New Zealand
• Champion Medium International Brewery: COEDO Brewery, Saitama, Japan
• Champion Small International Brewery: Altitude Brewing, Otago, New Zealand
• Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy for Best New Exhibitor: Gimme’ MO, Froth Craft Brewery, Western Australia

Category Highlights

• Best Australian- Style Lager: St George Lager, James Boags, Tasmania
• Best European-Style Lager: Hanging Rauch, Stomping Ground Brewing Co, Victoria
• Best International Lager: India Pale Lager, The Beer Farm, Western Australia
• Best Amber / Dark Lager: Mabon Doppelbock, King River Brewing Co, Victoria
• Best Pilsner: Powder Day, Altitude Brewing, Otago, New Zealand
• Best Wheat Beer: Weissbier, Zebra Craft Beer, China
• Best Belgian / French-Style Ale: Grand Cru, Brouwerij Rodenbach, Roesalare, Belgium
• Best British or European-Style Ale: Refined State Cucumber Sea Salt Gose, Slowboat Brewing, Tianjin, China
• Best Amber / Dark Ale: Grizz, 2 Brothers Brewery, Victoria
• Best Porter  or Stout: Coasty – Stout, Hawkesbury Brewing Co, New South Wales
• Best Australian Style Pale Ale: Session Ale, Mismatch Brewing Company, South Australia
• Best International-Style Pale Ale: Pale Ale, Ward’s Brewery, Queensland
• Best Modern Pale Ale: Foggy Goggles, Altitude Brewing, Otago, New Zealand
• Best Traditional India Pale Ale: NZ Cold IPA, Draught King Road Brewing Co, Western Australia
• Best Traditional IPA: NZ Cold IPA, Draught, King Road Brewing Co, Western Australia
• Best Modern India Pale Ale: Bract To The Future, Mountain Goat, Victoria
• Best Fruit Beer: Cherry Pick’n, Draught, Half Pace Brewing Company, New South Wales
• Best Specialty Flavored Beer: Daydream, Spring Valley Brewery, Tokyo, Japan
• Best Specialty Beer: Four Seasons Autumn 2026, Draught, Hawkers Brewery, Victoria
• Best Wood / Barrel-Aged Beer: X, Hawkers Brewery, Victoria
• Best Reduced / Low Alcohol Beer: Midstrength Red Ale, Love Shack Brewing Co, Victoria
• Best Non-Alcohol Beer: All Day Hazy Non-Alcoholic IPA, Packaged Bach Brewing, Auckland, New Zealand
• Best Cider: Berry DaHongPao Tea Cider, Packaged, Jun Yin (Beijing) Brand Management, China
• Best Design: Soul Cat Hazy IPA, Heyday Beer Co, New Zealand
• Best Media: Making A Mark: Scotty Hargrave Leaves Balter, Will Ziebell, Victoria

Consistency of Excellence Trophies

(breweries with sustained quality across styles and years)

• Brick Lane Brewing Co, Victoria, ‘Asylum’
• TWØBAYS Brewing Co, Victoria – IPA
• Brick Lane Brewing Co, Victoria – Last Train Home
• Pirate Life Brewing, South Australia – ‘Mosaic’
• Reckless Brewing Company, NSW – ‘Red IPA’
• Brouwerij L. Huyghe, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium – ‘Delirium Tremens’
• Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven, Tilburg, Netherlands – ‘La Trappe Quadrupel’

###

Congratulations to all this year’s winners…Live long and prosper.

All image credits: Australian International Beer Awards